From the desk of ...

The Maryland Senate has approved a statewide paid sick days standard, bringing the state the closest it has ever been to joining the nearly 40 jurisdictions across the country with paid sick days laws. This is a historic advance for Marylanders, as well as advocates and lawmakers who have been working for years to secure such a standard.

At her confirmation hearing last week, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said she thinks it should once again be optional for health plans to cover maternity care.

Experiences like the MAKERS Conference and the Women’s March remind us that we are all in this together and that we must keep challenging ourselves to build a collective force for resistance and change.

From gutting the Affordable Care Act to undermining reproductive health care to weakening workplace protections to opposing measures to stop sexual violence, Trump’s nominees have stood outside the mainstream and against the interests of women. Women must be vigilant and we must resist.

At the National Partnership, we get it. The Women’s March put the Trump administration and the new Congress on notice, but it was only the first step. Now, we each must do everything we can to create a continuous drumbeat for women’s rights and human rights.

From the desk of ... Aliya Bean

Throwback Thursday (#TBT) is usually a lighthearted way to show off your best (or worst) 90’s outfit or that funny picture of you as a toddler – but today’s #TBT is not nearly so amusing. Right now, extremists in Congress are working to undermine women’s health and access to care by repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

From the desk of ...

While you may not be able to prevent an embarrassing prom photo from popping up on Facebook today (#TBT), thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), many women are able to access basic preventive health care services that were previously out of reach. At least for now.

Throwback Thursday (#TBT) is usually a fun way to show your friends a bad ’00s hairstyle or your embarrassing family photo from Disney World — but today’s #TBT is no laughing matter. Right now, Republicans in Congress are working to undermine women’s health and access to care by repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The nation is poised for progress, but it will only come if lawmakers recognize that strengthening our economy will require paying as much attention to the kinds of jobs that are available as they pay to creating or keeping jobs in the United States.

From the desk of ... Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, and Cindy Pearson, executive director of the National Women's Health Network, Repro Health Watch

There has been increased attention and funding in recent years for long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARCs). While LARCs are part of a well-balanced mix of contraceptive options, there are concerning practices when it comes to who is targeted for long-acting methods and the way in which counseling is provided.

Data from a new national survey reveal seven in 10 women working in the fast food industry say they have gone to work with symptoms of illness. Only 14 percent of women in the industry, and a mere 6 percent of women who are paid less than $9 per hour, say they have access to paid sick days.

Capping off an already historic year of progress for paid sick days, voters in Arizona and Washington approved ballot measures last week that will mean the nation will soon have seven statewide paid sick days laws. Thirty-nine jurisdictions now do – or will soon – guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick time, and efforts to protect and build upon these victories has become even more important.